Coming into the season, Louisiana State righthander Anthony Ranaudo was seen as the second-best prospect—behind only Bryce Harper—in the 2010 draft class. But after a stress reaction in his elbow limited the 6-foot-7, 230-pounder to just 52 inconsistent innings for the Tigers, he slid to the Red Sox in the supplemental first round.

For most of his life, Australian lefthander Josh Spence chased the dream of playing professional baseball in the United States. When he finally reached it last summer, when his seemingly endless repertoire of pitches earned him the promise of a six-figure contract, he let the dream go—if only temporarily.

Not all first-round picks are created equal. The first pick in the draft is more valuable than the 30th. So we highlight the biggest busts at the top of the draft as well as the most inspired selections in the second half of the first round.

Baseball America's Dave Perkin—the only scout BA employs—usually covers California but hasn't been able to resist the lure of Bryce Harper or Las Vegas. He caught Harper for four games over the weekend and put together this scouting report.